DAYTON, Ohio (GreenBayPhoenix.com) – The Green Bay volleyball team bounced back from an 0-2 deficit on Saturday afternoon to win a five-set nail-biter (18-25, 24-26, 25-18, 25-18, 15-13) against Wright State at the C.J. McLin Gymnasium. The Phoenix improved to 10-12 overall and 5-4 in Horizon League play, while the Raiders dropped to 6-21 and 0-9 in conference action.

“Getting a league win on the road is always tough, and we’ll definitely take this one” Green Bay head coach Michaela Franklin said. “I thought Wright State did a nice job coming at us right away and being extremely competitive. They had a good strategy that forced us to make some adjustments. Once we executed those adjustments we were able to turn things around, and I give our captains a lot of credit for that.”

Senior Leah Van Zeeland (Kaukauna, Wis.) was instrumental in Green Bay’s comeback, registering her ninth double-double of the year with 17 kills – 12 in the final three sets – and 12 digs. Sophomore Emily Riese (Fond du Lac, Wis.) also had an impressive match, securing her 10th double-double of the season with 50 assists and 11 digs.

Wright State gained the 2-0 advantage by holding the Phoenix to a .000 hitting percentage (9 kills, 9 errors) in the 25-18 opener before winning the tight second set 26-24. Freshman Stephanie Ruffing led the Raiders with eight kills in the first two sets.

Green Bay regrouped during the break and responded with a pair of 25-18 wins to force the deciding fifth set. The Phoenix hit an impressive .516 in the fourth, led by Van Zeeland’s seven kills on 10 swings. Hurley and Kasal also contributed four kills apiece in the fourth-set win.

Set five saw the Phoenix jump out to an 11-5 lead, but the Raiders were able to cut it to one at 12-11. Green Bay got its first match point chance at 14-11 after a Bauer service ace, and Kasal eventually ended it at 15-13 with her 14th kill of the contest.

Ellen Senf led the Raiders with 13 kills on the day, while Ruffing recorded a double-double with 12 kills and 12 digs.

The Phoenix returns home for a pair of matches next weekend, welcoming UIC to the Kress Center on Friday at 7 p.m. before hosting Valparaiso for Alumni Day on Saturday at 5 p.m.

#

For the latest and most up-to-date information on Green Bay Athletics and Green Bay Volleyball, please visit GreenBayPhoenix.com.